IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,494,302
Granted Patent B2
US 12,494,302 · App. 18/332,326 · Granted Dec 9, 2025

Fiber comprising micro devices and metal interconnects with controlled elasticity

Inventors: Juliette Marion (Paris, FR); Polina Olegovna Anikeeva (Lexington, MA); Yoel Fink (Brookline, MA)
Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
H01B7/04D03D1/0088D03D15/25D03D15/283D03D15/292D03D15/30D04B1/16H01B1/02H01B3/44D10B2321/02D10B2401/061
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,494,302
App. No.
18/332,326
Granted
Dec 9, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An elastic and conductive fiber includes a cladding with a channel and a conductor disposed therein. The cladding may be made of a thermoplastic elastomer. The conductive fiber includes an excess length of conductor disposed inside of the channel so that the conductive fiber can stretch without applying substantial strain to the conductor and without substantially changing the electrical resistance of the conductive fiber. The conductor inside of the channel may have a buckled shape or a helical shape.

Claims (40)

1 . A fiber comprising:

a cladding including a channel formed therein; and

a conductor disposed in the channel, the conductor having a buckled shape and a length longer than a length of the cladding by about 4% to about 100%,

wherein the channel has a cross-sectional diameter about 5 to about 500 times larger than a cross-sectional diameter of the conductor.

2 . The fiber of claim 1 , wherein the conductor has a length that is at least 20% longer than the length of the cladding.

3 . The fiber of claim 1 , wherein a length of the fiber is at least about 1000 times longer than a width of the fiber.

4 . The fiber of claim 1 , wherein the conductor comprises a first wire and further comprising a second wire.

5 . The fiber of claim 1 , wherein the channel is a first channel, the conductor is a first conductor, the cladding includes a second channel formed therein, and further comprising a second conductor disposed in the second channel.

6 . The fiber of claim 1 , further comprising at least one device electrically coupled to the conductor and disposed in the channel.

7 . The fiber of claim 6 , wherein the at least one device is electrically coupled to the conductor in series.

8 . The fiber of claim 6 , wherein the conductor is a first conductor, and further comprising:

a second conductor embedded in the cladding,

wherein the at least one device is electrically coupled in parallel to the first conductor and the second conductor.

9 . The fiber of claim 6 , wherein the at least one device comprises at least one of a diode, a photodiode, a light emitting diode, a laser diode, a photodetector, or a transistor.

10 . The fiber of claim 6 , wherein the at least one device comprises at least one of a memory chip, a processor, a microcontroller, or a thermistor.

11 . The fiber of claim 1 , wherein the cladding comprises a thermoplastic elastomer material.

12 . The fiber of claim 11 , wherein the thermoplastic elastomer material comprises at least one of poly (styrene-b-(ethylene-co-butylene)-b-styrene), thermoplastic polyurethane, or cyclic olefin copolymer elastomer.

13 . The fiber of claim 1 , wherein the conductor comprises a conductive metal.

14 . The fiber of claim 13 , wherein the conductive metal comprises at least one of copper, tungsten, iron, aluminum, titanium, chromium, nickel, gold, or silver.

15 . The fiber of claim 1 wherein the conductor has a conductivity of at least 10 7 S m −1 .

16 . The fiber of claim 1 , wherein:

the cladding comprises cyclic olefin copolymer elastomer,

the conductor comprises copper,

the length of the conductor is about 20% to about 30% longer than the length of the cladding, and

the fiber has a diameter of about 1 mm to about 4 mm.

17 . A fabric comprising the fiber of claim 1 woven or knitted into the fabric.

18 . A method comprising:

forming a fiber comprising a cladding and a portion of a conductor disposed in a channel formed in the cladding;

stretching the cladding along a longitudinal axis of the fiber to pull a second portion of the conductor into the channel; and

after stretching the cladding, relaxing the cladding to induce buckling of the conductor in the channel,

wherein the channel has a cross-sectional diameter about 5 to about 500 times larger than a cross-sectional diameter of the conductor.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein buckling of the conductor causes the conductor to have a length that is at least 20% longer than a length of the fiber.

20 . A fiber comprising:

a cladding including a channel formed therein;

a conductor disposed in the channel, the conductor having a buckled shape and a length longer than a length of the cladding by about 4% to about 100%; and

at least one device electrically coupled to the conductor and disposed in the channel,

wherein the at least one device is electrically coupled to the conductor in series.

21 . A fiber comprising:

a cladding including a channel formed therein; and

a solid metal conductor disposed in the channel, the solid metal conductor having a buckled shape and a length longer than a length of the cladding by about 4% to about 100%.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 28, 2025
From: MARION, JULIETTE; ANIKEEVA, POLINA OLEGOVNA; FINK, YOEL
To: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Reel/Frame 072717/0235 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63371261 · Aug 12, 2022
Related Publication 20240055154A1 · Feb 15, 2024
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